Pedersen Device
Remington Arms Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1918
Also known as: Automatic Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of 1918, Pedersen Device Mark I, U.S. Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of 1918
Overview
The Pedersen Device is a semi-automatic conversion unit that replaced the bolt of a modified M1903 Springfield rifle, turning the bolt-action service rifle into a blowback-operated, semi-automatic carbine firing a low-power .30 caliber pistol-sized cartridge. Designed by John D. Pedersen during World War I, it was issued the deliberately misleading nomenclature 'Automatic Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of 1918' to preserve secrecy. Fed by a 40-round stick magazine inserted at an angle on the right of the receiver, it was intended to deliver high-volume close-range fire across no man's land while still allowing the soldier to reinstall the standard bolt for long-range bolt-action shooting. The war ended before it could be used in combat, and almost all of the roughly 65,000 devices produced were later destroyed, making surviving examples among the rarest of American military firearms.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 964 g (34.0 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 1417 g (50.0 oz) |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 40 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 396 m/s (1299 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 406 J (299 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .30 Pedersen · primary — also known as .30 Pedersen Device, .30 Cal Model of 1918, Cartridge, Ball, Caliber .30, Model 1918
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Features: Drop In Bolt Replacement, Converts Bolt Action To Semi Auto, 40 Round Stick Magazine, Side Mounted Magazine
Variants
- Pedersen Device Mark I — For M1903 Springfield
- Pedersen Device Mark II — For M1917 Enfield
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1918 · as Automatic Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of 1918
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 65,000 · Production years: 1918-1919
Approximately 65,000 Mark I devices were manufactured by Remington against an order that grew to 133,450; about 1.6 million magazines and 65 million cartridges were produced. Most devices were destroyed by the US Army in the early 1920s.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John D. Pedersen
Discontinued: 1920
Notes
The Pedersen Device is not a complete firearm on its own; it replaces the bolt assembly of a specially modified rifle (the M1903 Mark I) that featured an oval ejection port, altered sear, and modified magazine cut-off. After the Armistice the US Army scrapped the vast majority of devices in the 1920s, which is why intact examples are extremely valuable to collectors.
Background
Demonstrated to US Army ordnance officers on October 8, 1917, the device so impressed observers that it was rushed into secret production. Pedersen reportedly stood and fired rapid semi-automatic fire from a rifle that moments earlier had been a slow bolt-action, stunning the officers present. The Armistice of November 1918 rendered the weapon's surprise-assault role moot, and it never saw combat.